“We cannot try to hurry up and put the screams and the tears and the hurt back in the bottle, just to get back to some normal that was abnormal in the first place. Hear the screams. Feel the tears. The very people rejected over and over again are the ones who have shown us the possibility of a more perfect nation. They are telling us these wounds are too much. This death is too much.

“If we listen to America, if we listen, then now is the time for us not to stop mourning, but to mourn and refuse to be comforted, to unite our collective moral power and demand transformative change right now.”

Rev. William Barbour

Today we mourn the death of George Floyd. Today we mourn all the deaths of men and women killed or lynched because of the color of their skin.

Today I acknowledge the evil of racism embedded in our national story and all too often upheld by those who misquote the words of Jesus. I acknowledge the myriad of ways in which black and brown bodies have built this nation with their sweat, their minds, their hearts, and their music.

Jesus was a dark skinned Palestinian jew killed/lynched by the political powers in front of an angry mob.

Jesus taught us to love the Samaritan, the child, the marginalized.

Jesus calls us to weep, pray, and to tirelessly reach out our hands in love. 

Jesus said, “love oneanother.” 

I share links to two sermons/films by the Rev. Otis Moss III, Pastor Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago.  Take the time to watch and weep. 

Holy God,  help us to open our eyes and our hearts and our ears to listen, learn, and act.